The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-08-11

out obstruction, and use soon makes
the inside as smooth as glass. Such
a contriyance saves 4 great deal of
hauling. for as the trees are cut they
are dragged over and dumped into
the trough, and go down 10 the
yard like streak of lightning. In
course OF time the pressure VIII
drive the trough in pretty nearly to
the level of the earth. This was the
case with the Lacy chute. More
over, 1t had not been used for about
q year, and pine needles, dead
boughs and other rubbish had in
places almost hidden it from sight.
/ was well enough acquainted with
the mountains to know the instant
my broncho fell, that he had walk
ed into the old log chute. I was not
aware of it-at the time, but / think
now that that head'ong tumble
broke his back then and there, and
he never knew what hurt him.
''It takes a moment for the cool
est head to clear itself in times of
unlocked peril, and long before that
time. had elapsed the broncho and l
were on our way to the valley. go
ing faster at every breath, nothing
to stop us, death ahead and the dev-
IFS own railroad underneath. l
was sitting almost erect in The sad
die. The rubber flaps had twisted
around and kept my legs from rub
biDg against the sides of the trough,
but held me like bands of iron.
Even had they not, jumping off
would have been out of the ques.
ton. ] have never been ON a to-
boggan, but 1 think that people who
aavo will understand why l bent
all my energies to holding on. 1
did not faint and did not get dizzy;
there was a hideous roaring in my
ears, furious wind seemed to all of
a sudden tear up the mountain and
suck the breath out of MY mouth,
but everything was deadly clear and
distinct. T could see black specks
grow suddenly into pines and then
shoot past me. | could even SEQ
the snow caught in their needles as
they came whizzirg up. Every in
slant. through some clearing, ]
could see the valley, in flash, aud
over it all was sickenIng feeling
as though the mountain was sinking
away from me and / was plungi ing
into lmmeasurable space. So strong
was this, that even now, standi ng
on the solid marble floor, l can re-
call the qualm and nausea rs all
support seemed to give away. the
earth TIP up and let me fall, fall,
fall-lt felt as..if forever. A mass
of rock as large as this hotel was
beneath me. As looked 1t seemed
TO leap into the air like a balloon.
There was black line of forest be-
low. I..shot through it as through
n tunnel, and out into the light
again. | tried 10 shut my eyes. 1t
was impossible. / tried to scream.
The air had turned to stone.
Il have read that when men are
abont to die their lives reel out be
fore them like panorama. Mine
didn't. All | could think of was
ihe crash, the bloody mass of Imam
and horse lying somewhere in the
valley, and | remember was glad
in a wild crazy kind IF way, that
it would all be over in an instant,
and that 1t wouldn't hurt me. L
knew we must nearly be there. The
trees and rocks were indistingulsh-
able, whom all of sudden black |
mass flew up into my face. l felt
that 1 was being beaten, bruised and
hurled over and over, and then cv-
erything was still.
when the moon was well. up
c,me to myself. 1 was lying in a
snowdrift, rubbing at my head and
moaning. After long time l
crawled little ways. and then fell
down and cried for my very help
lessness. | must have been a little
fightY, and heaven knows how L
found my way to Lacy's mill, a
quarter of a.mile beyond, but did
somehow, and they carried me in
and sent for help. You see the old
timber chute had fallen into decay,
and some distance above the yard
was broken place that saved my
life. When we reached it the dead
bronchc jumped the trough and the
two of us went sailing and turning
and cavortIng over a field of fresh
snow until we struck into a drift
about five hundred feet away. The
broncho had the worst of it even
there, for he kept on going until he
struck solid earth. / broke three
r.bs and this arm in so many differ
elt places that tho doctor wanted
to cut it off and be done with it.
What puzzled the mill men most
was .hat my legs escaped, but the
saddle flaps were worn to a fringe,
and suppose that explains 1t
From the point where | started to !
the break was over two miles, and
the old hand there said logs used
t. make it in less than two minutes.
I had no stop. watch but Ill back
myself against any los that ever
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